Archive for May, 2014

There are four sinus cavities located in the head. These cavities reduce the weight of the skull, insulate it and allow the voice to resonate in it. These cavities are directly connected to the nasal passage. These cavities become infected due to a viral infection, cold or maybe an allergy. There are several ways of detecting a sinus infection. Some of the major sinus infection symptoms are facial pain, headache and nasal discharge.

If a person has a viral infection, the sinus membrane becomes inflamed. This blocks the passage of air from the nasal cavity. Bacteria can breathe very easily in a mucous filled cavity. Sinus infection symptoms are fairly easy to detect and they should be cured before they become chronic or too complicated. Fever can also be associated with a sinus infection. Fever doesn’t occur in all cases of sinus. It is more common in children as compared to adults. The fever is low grade in nature and the temperature doesn’t go very high.

Facial pain and swelling around the eye area are some of the very easily detected sinus infection symptoms. There are times when an X-ray or CT scan is used to detect sinus. Some people also complain of a toothache at times.

Nasal Irrigation is an excellent way to clean mucus from the nose making sinus infection medication more effective. They also clean allergens, irritants, bacteria and viruses from the nose reducing the frequency of sinus infection. Furthermore, they help decrease swelling in the nose and increase air flow. Sinus RinseTM Nasal Wash is excellent for all ages.

Though most cases of sinus are not very drastic, an acute case of chronic sinus can also cause double or slurred vision. People with such symptoms need to undergo surgery at times. Fatigue, slow fever and an upset stomach are also symptoms of sinus infection.

Prevention is better than cure. Sinus can be prevented by taking some simple steps. Using a humidifier, cleaning the nose properly everyday can prevent immense pain and discomfort. Nasal sprays can also be used. A headache which is one of the most common sinus infection symptoms can be torturous at times.

Bad breath is also one of the sinus infection symptoms. This can be very awkward for the patient because there are times when the patient can taste his/her own bad breath. Successful medication not only relieves the sinus cavities of infection, it also works upon the nearby bones and the mucous lining. It is recommended that the patient starts taking medication at the first sign of one or more of the symptoms mentioned above.

Sinuses are cavities that exist in the bones near the nose. Sinusitis is an inflammation of these cavities. But before going into the details of what are the symptoms and signs of a sinus infection, let us have a look at what is sinusitis?

Sinuses permit the passage of air from the nose to the lungs. They protect the skull and make it lighter. Sinuses perform the function of evacuating mucus from the body. An inflammation of the sinuses blocks the nasal membrane lining, thereby, prohibiting the discharge of mucus. This trapping of mucus in the sinuses due to an inflammation of the nasal membrane causes severe pain and discomfort. This condition is known as a sinus infection, or more commonly, sinusitis.

The signs of a sinus infection include headache, fever, pain in the jaws, tenderness and pressure around the eyes and the nose, tiredness, swelling of the face and eyelids, and a thick yellow discharge from the nose.

The signs of sinus infection occur on the basis of the duration of the sinusitis and depend on the sinuses affected by the infection. For chronic sinusitis, that lasts between three to eight weeks, the signs include a continuous pain in the sinus area, severe and long headaches and chronic cough. For acute sinusitis, the symptoms are more or less the same but last for a shorter duration, around up to three weeks.

The signs of sinus infection, on the basis of the area affected, can be explained as follows. Pain in the forehead, pain while lowering the head, fever and nasal discharge are symptoms of frontal sinusitis. Pain in the cheekbones, pain while the head is in upright position and relief in the reclining position and pain in the teeth are symptoms of maxillary sinusitis.

Ethmoid sinusitis occurs with symptoms like pain in the lower part of the nose, between the eyes and in the inner corners of the eyes. Similarly, sphenoid sinusitis is accompanied with symptoms such as pain while bending forward, pain while lying backwards and a pain in the upper part of the head.

Thus, the signs of sinus infection must be identified and treated as soon as possible. But no medication should be resorted to without consulting a doctor.

Sinus infections, in themselves, are painful. You can very well imagine how painful asevere sinus infection can be. Dealing with such discomforting pain for a few days, or at the most a week or so, is still bearable. But those suffering from such sinus infections bear this pain for anywhere between two to three months or even more.

Thus, a severe sinus infection can hamper your routine life due to the symptoms that last for a longer duration. This makes it inevitable to understand and recognize the symptoms of such an infection so as to ensure timely treatment.

A severe sinus infection is much the same as an acute infection, the only difference being the duration. In chronic infection, the symptoms last longer than in an acute infection. Also, there is resistance to treatment as the body takes a longer time to respond to the treatment.

Some of the common symptoms of such sinus infections include pressure near the eyes and nose accompanied with a pain, a thick discharge from the nose, breathing difficulties and a severe headache.

Nasal Irrigation is an excellent way to clean mucus from the nose making sinus infection medication more effective. They also clean allergens, irritants, bacteria and viruses from the nose reducing the frequency of sinus infection. Furthermore, they help decrease swelling in the nose and increase air flow. Sinus RinseTM Nasal Wash is excellent for all ages.

Other than the above mentioned symptoms, you can also suffer from a pain in the teeth, ears and the jaws. Thesymptoms of a sinus infection are not the same for one and all. They vary from person to person depending on the type of sinus one is suffering from. An important thing to be mentioned here is that it may so happen that not all the symptoms occur at the same time. So even if you experience only a few of the symptoms, do consult a doctor.

Whereas an acute sinus infection, that lasts between a few days to a week or so, can be treated with time-tested home remedies, a severe sinus infection, lasting more than a month and recurring frequently, needs the doctors’ consultation and medication. The treatment may begin with antibiotics, followed by decongestants and nasal sprays. If all these do not prove effective, a surgery can be resorted to.

Though time consuming and painful, what is like a silver lining is the fact that a severe sinus infection can be treated with the plenty of options available!

As a result, some of the symptoms that most people feel include headaches, congestion, difficulty breathing, reduced sense of smell, ear pain, fatigue, cough, nausea, sore throat and aching in the upper jaw or teeth.

Since you probably tried already to self medicate yourself without any positive results, the doctor is your only hope to make it go away.

After reviewing your medical history, some test will need to be done such as an MRI, CT scan, nasal endoscopy, extracting nasal or sinus cultures and an allergy test.

An MRI or CT scan is similar to an X-ray machine because they can show details of your sinus and nasal area without inserting anything into your body.

If this is needed, the doctor will have to do a nasal endoscopy by putting a thin, flexible tube with fiber optic light up your nose to see what is happening inside.

Not many people like that because it is like putting a similar tube up your anus. If possible, they will give a nasal or sinus sample instead so this can be checked.

If your doctor has not yet determined the exact cause of the chronic sinus infection, you may be referred to another specialist especially if he or she suspects that this is caused by an allergy so they can conduct an allergy test.

Once the results come in, the doctor will probably prescribe some antibiotics until you are free of the symptoms. To deal with the inflammation and swelling in the nasal cavity, you will be prescribed a corticosteroid. If this doesn’t work, then you will probably try antihistamines, decongestants and expectorants.

The doctor may also try moisture or humidification to help flush the nasal cavity and loosen the dried mucus. Should the chronic sinus infection be caused by an allergy, it can be treated with immunotherapy. A method designed to stimulate the antibodies that block the body’s reactions to a specific allergy.

Chronic sinus infection can be prevented and the steps that you take are not that different when you are suffering from an acute sinus infection. You just have got to practice proper hygiene, get flu shots once a year, stay away from people who have colds as it is a contagious illness, limit your drinking, keep yourself hydrated at all times, buy a humidifier and avoid being in polluted areas or around people who smoke.

Should you already have chronic sinus infection, just follow the instructions of the doctor and update him or her on any progress.

Chronic sinus infection is no joke. Just to give you an idea of how serious it is, over 30 to 40 million Americans get it every year. If you don’t want to be another person added to the statistics, do what is needed so you are always healthy.

Acute sinus infection occurs when your nasal passages become inflamed making it difficult for the normal drainage of the mucus. As a result, you have difficulty breathing and may also experience a headache, fever or cough.

The common cause of acute sinus infection is the cold. Other causes include bacteria, allergies, nasal polyps, deviated nasal septum and certain medical conditions. When the doctor is able to determine the exact cause, only then will treatment be given.

But most of the time, acute sinus infection is either bacterial or viral. Since it is hard to pinpoint what is the exact cause, doctors speculate that if the problem persists longer than 14 days, then it is more likely that the cause is bacterial.

You will know if you have acute sinus infection if you have any of these symptoms. These include bad breath, cough, dental pain, erythema, fatigue, fever, nasal congestion, nausea or a sore throat. You may experience one or a few of these at the same time and you should treat it immediately to prevent this from becoming a chronic sinus infection which is worse to cause complications.

This means that the sinus infection could last longer than 8 weeks or you could develop acute asthma, aneurysms, meningitis or vision problems.

If the symptoms of acute sinus infection are mild, you can try self-care like drinking lots of fluids and bed rest. However if the body temperature ever exceeds 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 39 degrees Celsius, then you have to seek medical advice.

When you go to see a doctor, he or she will be asking you a few questions to gather information about your medical history, conduct a physical examination and in some cases call for a CT scan to pinpoint which areas are inflamed.

If the test results show that the cause is bacterial, then you may be prescribed some antibiotics like amoxicillin or the combination drug trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. If there are no changes, then a different antibiotic will be recommended.

Should this be caused by an allergic reaction, the doctor will likely recommend an antihistamine.

Other possible treatments for acute sinus infection include the use of prescription decongestants, nasal corticosteroid spray, oral corticosteroid pills to relieve stuffiness, over the counter decongestants or pain relievers and spraying a saline solution inside your nose several times a day.

But do you always have to wait for acute sinus infection to strike before taking any action? The answer is no because this can be prevented. Some simple things you can do include practicing proper hygiene, getting flu shots annually, staying away from people who have colds, keeping yourself hydrated, limiting alcohol use, investing in a humidifier, avoid going to polluted areas and hanging out with people who smoke.

If you already have acute sinus infection, steam your sinus cavities by mixing Vicks Vaporub with warm water or with a few essential oils and then inhale it for about 10 minutes. You can also take a hot shower and breathe the warm air. Don’t forget to also take some decongestants and drink lots of fluids as this will all reduce congestion and promote drainage.

An acute sinus infection doesn’t last that long but when it is there, you will really have a bad day. It can happen to anyone and at anytime so you have to take good care of yourself.

Ever wondered what really causes a sinus infection? There are many possibilities and it is sometimes hard to pinpoint which one is the culprit. You could have gotten it while you are at work, out in the mall, doing a certain activity or even at home. So, here are some of the known causes of sinus infections.

Most sinus infections are caused by the common cold otherwise known as viral influenza. This causes congestion in the nasal passages and inhibits the drainage of the sinuses which is why it becomes inflamed.

When this happens, the nose is filled with mucus caused by the accumulation of white blood cells in the lining of the nose. This makes it difficult for the person to smell or even breathe and the only way to get rid of it is to blow it out.

Generally a common flu stays a maximum for a period of one week. After that we usually recover, but it leaves our sinuses inflamed. The nose is a very sensitive part of our body which catches a viral infection very easily.

Sinus infection can also be caused by exposure to dust particles, pollen and other irritants in the air. If there is too much of this already in the nasal passages, it prevents mucus from draining away. When these bacteria such as streptococcus pneumoniae and haemophilus influenzae end up in our upper respiratory tract and multiply, then it causes us to have a sinus infection.

You can come into contact with these every time you go outdoors or when you are inside the house especially in places where natural sunlight cannot reach. Another example is the fungus known as aspergillus that can cause problems to the immune system.

If you have asthma, you are a high risk for sinus infections because your nasal polyps inside your nose are swollen. This results in chronic sinus infections that could last for 2 weeks.

Lack of water also causes a sinus infection. This is because the mucus will thicken making it difficult for the cilia to move it through the sinuses.

Sinus infections can also happen whenever we are stressed. To prove the point, one such condition known as vasomotor rhinitis shows that stress does cause excessive swelling and mucus production.

You can also get a sinus infection by blowing your nose too much. This is because your nose will swell after blowing it too hard or too much.

Certain activities that are fun can also cause sinus infection. Traveling by air and scuba diving are very common because to much pressure in the sinuses causes bacteria to grow.

If you don’t watch your kids carefully, they may inhale harmful substances or other foreign objects that introduce bacteria into the sinuses.

Certain medications are also known to cause sinus infections as a side effect because it may affect the functioning of the mucus membrane.

Lastly, although very rare, you can get a sinus infection from disease teeth because the maxillary sinus in the cheekbone becomes infected by the root of a diseased upper tooth.

There are many causes of sinus infections and it is not only bacterial or viral. Now that you know what these are, it is time for you to take steps to prevent this from happening.